Despite what her name could initially indicate, Minjeong Kim was a citizen of the world, a true cosmopolitan. The roots of her family’s tree included three different paths – one being the most prominent one as she was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina.

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Minjeong’s parents, Dominika Abramovitch and Dohyeon Kim, met at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. At the time, her mother was a young Russian athlete who had recently naturalized for the US team, and her father was an occasional Korean swimmer who volunteered to clean and maintain the pools during the event.

One chance meeting between the two was enough. Encouraged by the euphoria and cheerful atmosphere of the Olympics, they both bonded over their shared passion and immediately fell in love. One could almost venture to say it was love at first sight. Except, unlike the stories told in the books, their love was not accepted by everyone, and the Kim family threatened to disown their son because of it. Revolted but still harboring unwavering feelings for Dominika, Dohyeon decided to follow his love to the United States and permanently moved there – never once regretting his choice.

Nine years into their marriage, Minjeong Winter Kim was born in Charleston. Dominika retired to become a swimming coach and Dohyeon took on a job at a food processing factory near Charleston. They were happy.

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Being the result of two different worlds colliding became something Minjeong learnt to adapt and adhere to. She grew up taking bits of each of her parents’ lineage and understanding the intricacies of each of them.

Very soon in her life, her parents taught her how to speak three languages – Russian, English and Korean. It was a way for both of them to instill in her the knowledge of their heritage, as one would with a true cosmopolitan child.

Growing up with three different ways to express herself made it particularly difficult for Minjeong to properly voice her thoughts out loud. She always took time to find the right words or reactions, and subsequently, she tended to be quieter than the other children and more of an observer rather than a participant in a conversation. And, peculiarly so, having to proactively choose the right language and the right words every time became very early a trick for Minjeong to compartmentalize her feelings and traits of personality.

Russian was the language of discipline and explosiveness – testament of her mother’s strict diligence as an ex-athlete, but also her shortcomings which fueled her rage to always move onward and be the best,  to achieve something.

Korean was the language of sentimentality and nostalgia – testament of her father’s impulsiveness and passion which made him once leave a home which he would sometimes wonder about, traditions and family still ingrained in his memories.

And then, there was English.

To Minjeong, English was not a language, but instead a useful tool which allowed her to understand what was said around her and communicate with others, nothing less nothing more. Just like it was in her home, English was a compromise, a middle-ground between her parents, a necessity to live in the United States.

It just so happened that her daily use of English translated into her personality more than Minjeong would like to allow it. She too became somewhat of a compromise. Never one to raise her voice, never one to make waves, always polite, always nice, always neutral.

Therefore, it was a shame that Minjeong would often pass as someone forgettable at first glance. Her carefulness with words and her mostly agreeable nature would make everyone assume she was someone bland, and that behind her apparent blandness, at core, resided someone who was lackluster.

In truth, Minjeong was highly intelligent and emotionally-driven, she simply did not bother to show it – always able to compromise with the expectations and the place she held in other people’s eyes. In truth, Minjeong’s heart was filled with her mother’s determination and her father’s moral values. And all the variations of her own determination and moral values were layered by her structural approach towards her environment.

Minjeong’s way of acting was reacting.

For instance, as a reaction to her mother’s passionate encouragement, Minjeong took swimming lessons. And although the initial factor of her hobby was not herself, she still invested her time and efforts. Unsurprisingly, considering she was prone to learning and understanding faster than the average, she excelled at it. So much so that her mother began dreaming of seeing Minjeong brandishing the Gold Medal she had not won back when she was an athlete in the US team.

Minjeong’s childhood was kind to her. She had loving and doting parents, and although she had trouble finding friends at first, her reserved but steady personality made for a small circle of loyal friends – and that was enough. For Minjeong was neither greedy nor ambitious.

Yet, as much as Minjeong started believing quite young that everyone is a product of their own environment, she was not expecting for her environment to completely change once she hit puberty. Because, as much as Minjeong’s childhood years were kind, her high school years brought two major traumatizing incidents.

The first one happened during a family vacation in Hilton Head. Minjeong went for a swim and almost drowned in the lake because of a muscular cramp. The second one happened while heading home drunk after a party. She almost got assaulted if not for one onlooking police officer nearby.

After these two events – Minjeong’s structural approach towards her environment dictating her way of acting – she reacted.

Subsequently, she decided to abandon swimming lessons and she developed a fear of deep water. Later, she also decided to take self-defense classes, vowing to herself, at the tender age of sixteen years-old, to one day become a police officer able to protect the world.

To do so, she sadly moved away from her hometown to attend the Pennsylvania State University where she managed to get a Bachelor Degree in Criminal Justice at twenty-two years-old.

Not backing down from her original vow, she then passed the exam to become a police officer. Yet, after four years of being a police officer, her view of the world was once again completely reshaped by a fleeting comment from a colleague regarding her analytical mind and helpful personality being good assets for the FBI.

Minjeong’s structural approach towards her environment dictating her way of acting, she reacted.

So, at twenty-six years-old, Minjeong enrolled at the FBI Academy in Quantico. And because of her advanced capabilities, she quickly became one of its best applicants.

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After joining the FBI Academy, Minjeong would often reminisce about how she ended up here and how it was said she would excel at being a federal agent. It pushed her to work for it, to commit herself to her choice of following that one comment she once received. So, she took it upon herself to wake up at the crack of dawn and run around the training course near the complex every morning. It became a routine for her.

Including herself, there were only a few people who would inflict themselves the same excruciating hours of intense warm-up before the real training of the day began. She would always come across the same faces, the determined recruits, and when she passed them, she would nod at them.

Today, it was raining hard. So, it was with damp clothes sticking to her body like a second skin, that Minjeong entered the building where her dormitory was located. Her limbs were exhausted and she could taste iron in – a proof that she had surpassed her record time again. Passing a hand through her short black hair, she repressed the urge to shake her head like a wet dog as she moved through the empty corridors, leaving a small trail of water on the floor. She had recently cut it on a whim, a bob-cut. It made her look younger – and especially cuter, her mother had said when she had Face-Timed her. It had not been exactly the effect she had aimed for. In truth, it had been more for convenience than aesthetic, although, the smile on her mother had been an added bonus.

Taking the left turn leading to her room, Minjeong slowed her steps. An unusual sight greeted her at her dorm’s entrance. Colin Williams, Director of the FBI Academy, was leaning on the wall directly opposite to her door. Room twenty-one, Minjeong’s attributed dorm. Although she knew she had nothing to reproach herself with, she could not help but be apprehensive when she approached him.

Mr. Williams turned towards her and Minjeong noticed how his eyes briefly widened in surprise at the sight of her state, drenched from head to toe.

“Sir.”

“Ms. Kim. I see you are already awake.”

“I was out for my usual morning jog, Sir. Is there a particular reason why you are looking for me?”

Minjeong was beginning to feel cold and she wished the conversation would end sooner rather than later. Mr. Williams looked at her and cleared his throat, understanding.

“Yes, I need to discuss an important matter with you. But you probably want to clean yourself up first. Please, take the time to do so and come see me when you are done. I’ll be waiting in my office.”

“What about my classes?”

“You are exempted, for today. Like I said, it’s an important matter.”

Unsure whether to add anything to the discussion, Minjeong simply nodded and waited for Mr. Williams to disappear around the corner before entering her dormitory. Once in the familiar space, she wasted no time in throwing off her soaked clothes. She rushed into the shower and sighed with contentment as the warm water finally ran over her shivering body, already soothing her aching muscles.

With the soreness of her body gone, Minjeong let her forehead fall on the shower’s wall, deep in thought. She wondered what Mr. Williams’ sudden appearance was about. She was not naive and she understood that whatever the important matter was, whether good news or bad news, her life was about to take a new turn.

Nevertheless, it made no difference. In the end, there was no point in speculating at this stage. She would have the answers soon enough and would keep moving forward anyway, as long as there were no obstacles. The time for doubt was not now.

And so, freshly showered and dressed, she headed out, retracing the damp trail she had left behind, umbrella in hand. On the way, Minjeong noticed the halls were beginning to fill up, as more and more recruits began their day. The trip to Mr. Williams’ office went swiftly.

Knocking lightly on the door, she dutifully waited for a response before stepping into the office.

Mr. Williams was sitting at his desk, a few open files in front of him, which he promptly closed as he motioned for her to sit down opposite him. Minjeong discarded her umbrella at the entrance and, after taking a seat, calmly placed her hands on her thighs, awaiting further instructions.

“Minjeong Kim,” Mr. Williams started. “You must be aware of how you are regarded here at Quantico. After all, you are one of our best applicants and deemed a prodigy by your teammates.”

A standard opening for a conversation, Minjeong noted, deciding not to rebuke it. She knew the compliment was just a way of getting her interested in the real matter.

“You must also know that we try to nurture a multicultural environment here, so someone like you who can speak three languages fluently is a real asset to us,” Mr. Williams continued. “But that’s not all there is, is it?” His eyes dropped to the files in front of him, humming. “Reports also say that you have strong capabilities in hand to hand combat, solid knowledge in computer engineering, and you managed to pass the hostage situation drill with flying colors.” Mr. Williams looked up, offering a polite smile. “Your psychological exam is no short impressive too. Able to shoulder stressful situations and keeping composure under pressure. Those traits are indeed valuable.” Then as an afterthought, he added a lighthearted comment to his assessment. “And you never skip morning runs, apparently.”

Minjeong watched as Mr. Williams discarded the files on the side  and reached in his drawer to put another one on top of his desk.

“I could go on, but I’m sure you get my point, Ms. Kim. The bottom line is that you’re a good asset and have a large range of capabilities that int